Showing posts with label Caring for each other. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Caring for each other. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thoughtful Thursday
Every year at Christmastime, I like to go to a restaurant--preferably a low-budget sitdown place like Waffle House, Frisch's, Bob Evans and the like--and leave a big tip for the waitress. "Big" is a relative term here. If we eat something small where a $2 would be 20%, then we leave $5 or $10 as the tip. I remember all the years I worked as a server at a low-budget restaurant and any time I got a tip that was $5 or more, I was ecstatic. At these low-budget places, a "big" tip is rare so when someone receives one, it makes their day. Think about it. It's an average guy's way to make someone's day or maybe even Christmas.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thoughtful Thursday
What can you do with five bucks to make someone's day? Tape the exact change for a soda to a vending machine or a payphone. Pay the toll for the person behind you. Leave flowers in front of someone's house. Bake cookies for your neighbors. Put quarters in the laundry machine for the next person. Send cards with beautiful messages to anonymous people. Leave chocolate on the desk of your co-workers. Treat someone to a cup of their favorite coffee.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thoughtful Thursday
Recently on a message board I participate on frequently, someone posted a question and asked us what we would do. She saw a homeless person holding a sign asking for money who was wearing flip flops. It's super cold up here right now so she thought the woman was in need of a new pair of shoes. She wanted to give her a new pair, but was afraid she would offend her by offering them to her. She was asking what we would do.
It reminded me of many times when I felt my heart tell me to do something for someone and out of fear of embarrassment--myself or them--I didn't listen to the urging and I missed the opportunity to show someone I cared. I can't tell you the countless times I've had thoughts and disregarded them. I regret those times so much. Mainly because I feel that voice that gave me that idea is my higher self, my perfect self, God, Holy Spirit, whatever you want to call it. Really, it's pure love that is trying to be channeled through us and our human selves stop it for fear of "How will that look?"
That voice that tells you to give some money to the street person who is asking for it or give to that cause you see on t.v. is the one we should listen to. Instead, a lot of us listen to our brain--"Oh, they'll only use the money for booze." "If I give them the money, they will follow me down the street and I'll never get rid of them." "That cause is bogus and the money will probably go to some bigshot who will spend it on their new pool." "It's a scam."
I'm not saying not to be smart and give you money or time willy nilly to anyone that asks for it. The truth is there are scams out there that play upon our sympathies and kindheartedness...especially at this time of year. But, I believe, your heart voice knows the difference. I also believe that even if you mistakenly give to a "scam", if you gave from your heart, it doesn't really matter. You have shown love to the world and that will come back to you.
I don't know what the girl did who posed the question. I do know that all of the responses were that she should do it. Many gave her different ways to present the shoes so as not to embarrass the woman, but every single one said do it.
So today, I'm asking all of us to "Do it!" If your heart urges you to do something thoughtful, kind, caring toward someone else, don't overthink it...just DO IT!
It reminded me of many times when I felt my heart tell me to do something for someone and out of fear of embarrassment--myself or them--I didn't listen to the urging and I missed the opportunity to show someone I cared. I can't tell you the countless times I've had thoughts and disregarded them. I regret those times so much. Mainly because I feel that voice that gave me that idea is my higher self, my perfect self, God, Holy Spirit, whatever you want to call it. Really, it's pure love that is trying to be channeled through us and our human selves stop it for fear of "How will that look?"
That voice that tells you to give some money to the street person who is asking for it or give to that cause you see on t.v. is the one we should listen to. Instead, a lot of us listen to our brain--"Oh, they'll only use the money for booze." "If I give them the money, they will follow me down the street and I'll never get rid of them." "That cause is bogus and the money will probably go to some bigshot who will spend it on their new pool." "It's a scam."
I'm not saying not to be smart and give you money or time willy nilly to anyone that asks for it. The truth is there are scams out there that play upon our sympathies and kindheartedness...especially at this time of year. But, I believe, your heart voice knows the difference. I also believe that even if you mistakenly give to a "scam", if you gave from your heart, it doesn't really matter. You have shown love to the world and that will come back to you.
I don't know what the girl did who posed the question. I do know that all of the responses were that she should do it. Many gave her different ways to present the shoes so as not to embarrass the woman, but every single one said do it.
So today, I'm asking all of us to "Do it!" If your heart urges you to do something thoughtful, kind, caring toward someone else, don't overthink it...just DO IT!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thoughtful Thursday
Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means.
Leo Buscalgia
I have a coworker who has a friend who has another friend whose sister has stage 4 cancer. She is going through her last round of chemo and has also started radiation. The girl is 15 years old.
My coworker felt so bad for the girl she proceeded to go about gathering items from around the shop to purchase what she thought would comfort the girl, taking into consideration what her body is going through since she's going through chemo and radiation. She thoughtfully considered what scents would possibly bother her, what items would provide her with the most comfort and even went over to another store to buy one of the items she thought she would really like. Did I mention that my coworker doesn't even know this girl? Didn't even know she had cancer until yesterday right before she began gathering the items?
Isn't it ironic that yesterday my quote from an e-newsletter that I subscribe to was the quote I have above and then I went into work and here was this person who was actually living the quote I had just read yesterday morning? Have you ever given the way the quote explains or the way my coworker did yesterday? Not to your kids or your family or a close friend, but to a stranger? I'm not saying those acts of giving don't "count"; they do immensely; but oh the joy of giving to a stranger, someone you may never meet or see. It's an indescribable feeling and one that fills your soul with joy.
This week's challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to put the above quote into action and "report" back here what you did. I'd love to hear about it. We all get ideas off of each other. I'm already trying to think of a way to do something like my coworker did. You don't have to have a ton of money or spend a lot of money doing something to affect another person. Just showing you care for them as a human being is enough. Imagine how that girl felt when she received the gifts. Imagine how you would feel to know that a complete stranger cared enough about you as a person to think of you during one of the worst times of your life. Wow, I want to be a part of giving that feeling to someone else. What about you?
Leo Buscalgia
I have a coworker who has a friend who has another friend whose sister has stage 4 cancer. She is going through her last round of chemo and has also started radiation. The girl is 15 years old.
My coworker felt so bad for the girl she proceeded to go about gathering items from around the shop to purchase what she thought would comfort the girl, taking into consideration what her body is going through since she's going through chemo and radiation. She thoughtfully considered what scents would possibly bother her, what items would provide her with the most comfort and even went over to another store to buy one of the items she thought she would really like. Did I mention that my coworker doesn't even know this girl? Didn't even know she had cancer until yesterday right before she began gathering the items?
Isn't it ironic that yesterday my quote from an e-newsletter that I subscribe to was the quote I have above and then I went into work and here was this person who was actually living the quote I had just read yesterday morning? Have you ever given the way the quote explains or the way my coworker did yesterday? Not to your kids or your family or a close friend, but to a stranger? I'm not saying those acts of giving don't "count"; they do immensely; but oh the joy of giving to a stranger, someone you may never meet or see. It's an indescribable feeling and one that fills your soul with joy.
This week's challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to put the above quote into action and "report" back here what you did. I'd love to hear about it. We all get ideas off of each other. I'm already trying to think of a way to do something like my coworker did. You don't have to have a ton of money or spend a lot of money doing something to affect another person. Just showing you care for them as a human being is enough. Imagine how that girl felt when she received the gifts. Imagine how you would feel to know that a complete stranger cared enough about you as a person to think of you during one of the worst times of your life. Wow, I want to be a part of giving that feeling to someone else. What about you?
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